CENTRE WELLINGTON – Two local women who were recently targeted by online scammers are sharing their story in hopes that others will not fall victim to the scam.
“I didn’t respond to them, but other people might,” said Jeannine Ross of the unknown individual who emailed her last week.
The email came in the early hours of the morning on Sept. 19 from a gmail account, and was received via an email account Ross said she seldom uses. The subject line was Ross’ name, and the body of the message was blank, but there was a PDF attached.
The two-page document is an unsigned letter, addressed to Ross, the first line of which makes a point of quoting her phone number and address.
“Don’t try to escape from this,” it continues. “You have no idea what I’m capable of in Fergus.”
The letter writer goes on to claim she has hacked into Ross’ computer, can spy on her via her computer’s camera and microphone, and has access to Ross’ email contacts and social media accounts.
“They say they’ve got dirty info on me,” said Ross, describing the letter’s contents.
“I’ve got footage of you doing embarrassing things in your room,” the letter reads, going on to threaten to release the non-existent video to family and friends unless a ransom is paid.
“They want payment in Bitcoin,” Ross said.
The requested amount is $1,950, and there’s a QR code included in the PDF.
The letter’s final paragraph claims the Bitcoin payment will automatically “wipe out all the dirt I got on you,” but it also includes threats about what will happen if the email is shared or discussed with others.
The final page of the document includes a photo of Ross’ driveway, one that could easily have come from Google Maps.
Elora resident Carolyn Fox got an almost identical letter via email later the same day.
There were slight differences in the wording, and the address quoted and photo included were different, but the message was the same: pay or else.
The suggested method of payment was also the same – Bitcoin, with a QR code – although, in Fox’s case the amount demanded was higher, at $2,000 in U.S. currency.
“This is very, very offensive,” Fox said of the message’s attempt to intimidate people into paying.
“I don’t want anybody to feel threatened by it in any way, shape or form, and this is a threat.”
Both women ignored their letter’s demand not to talk to others about it, and took the message to police.
“I asked them if they could trace where it came from,” Ross said.
But police told her these types of emails were common and difficult to trace.
As she hadn’t fallen for the scam and sent money, it wouldn’t be investigated in the same way it would if she had been a victim of a crime.
She was given a phone number for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), which has a system for reporting and tracking fraud and cybercrime.
Fox said she was told the message likely originated from outside the country and it would be difficult to prosecute the perpetrators, even if they could be traced.
She was told to “just delete it.”
Wellington County OPP spokesperson Constable Sarah McClinchey said it’s very difficult for police to track down the origins of messages like these, but people should still report them.
Doing so helps police “track to see if there happens to be an increase in any specific type of fraud,” McClinchey stated in an email to the Advertiser.
The CAFC’s website includes a long list of common scams, alphabetized from “air duct cleaning” right through to “weight loss grants.”
The email Ross received was very much like the one described on the CAFC’s website under the “explicit video” scam, one of more than a dozen listed under “extortion.”
“Via email, a scammer claims to have hacked your computer and recorded you performing an explicit act (i.e., masturbation). They often cite some of your personal information (e.g. social insurance number) or a password you have used as proof of the hack. They state that they will release the video publicly if you do not pay a fee via Bitcoin,” the website states.
“The computer has not been hacked. The password cited was obtained in a previous data breach.”
McClinchey said the breach could happen when someone makes an online purchase.
Unfortunately, scam emails and texts such as these are common, she said.
“I get these massages almost daily as well (and even on my work-issued phone) so, sadly, there is no way to prevent these messages,” McClinchey said.
“Police continue to urge the public to protect yourself and always avoid sending money or personal information to someone you have not met in person,” she said.
“If you have been the victim of a scam, please know that you are not alone, and there are resources to help.”
People can visit the CAFC website, antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, for information about fraud or to report a scam. People can also call 1-888-495-8501 to report a scam.
